


dusk in stone

by bellecream



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Angst, Drama, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Enemies, F/M, Gen, Hurt, I'm running with the Princess Locked in a Tower trope until the very end, It’s ZelGan but like the opposite of romance, One-Sided Attraction, Power Imbalance, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Visions, loosely based around the twilight princess manga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28439121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellecream/pseuds/bellecream
Summary: Zelda is trapped in the castle with Ganondorf, bound to bear the mark of the Goddesses. Surrounded by evil, she discovers many things. Darkness lays upon her like a veil, rain falls relentlessly against stone.Zelda feels like stalked prey.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Ganondorf/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Midna & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	1. Passageways

Telling time had become increasingly difficult. The sundial, now inept under the orange glow, stands without partitioned shadow. Zelda found a rudimentary way to time the hours by the crackling of her fireplace, when the logs reduced to nothing but embers, and its ashen hearth needed to be replenished. It had become so cold - so still.

She reached over her hood and pulled it a little tighter. She found herself longing for little things - the smell of the bakers’ stock at dawn, the slow awakening of the townspeople in the market, the simple blue sky at noon. So much orange, so much darkness. The swirling miasmas of fragmented air seemed to choke her if she looked for too long out her window. She wanted some time off - she didn’t ask for this. Not for any of it.

It was after Midna brought the boy to her that she began to become more restless, more bold. Unanswered questions were at the forefront of her mind, the missing connections becoming all the more pressing to know. Not for her sake - but for the sake of her people.

She adjusted sheets and pillows underneath her bed cover, disguising its emptiness with a sleeping silhouette after the guard made his penultimate round for the evening.She pressed her fingers along the floor, feeling the soft grooves and searching, searching, for that which is not like that others. And once she found the particular indentation, she pushed. What was nothing but stone gave way to a hidden chute.

Zelda slid in, taking care to gently close the opening above her head. And with a glee that she had not felt in many months, she slipped away from her tower cage, stepping with feather lightness upon the echoing passage. It was dark, deep, and winding - she made her way down by feeling the walls against her, her hand trailing against pebbled rock. Until finally, she reached its end.

She pushed against the door - its creaking complaint much louder than she would have liked. She found herself in the south wing of the Castle.

She bolted across the empty hall, taking care to gather her dress so it would not slither softly upon the stone, treading on soft rug when she could. The castle had gone into a miniature decline - torches went unlit, dust began to pile against the window awnings, filtering throughout the air. Furniture overturned, tapestries slashed and torn. The lingering smell of the dead - not of their corpses, but of the moments they were killed with the weight of all their regrets and sorrows. She swore she could feel the presence of their spirits among the halls.

She reached the library - this area of the castle was deserted. _“Thieves and plunderers don’t care much for books,”_ Zelda thought in amusement, as she took a single candle from a table and lit it with a box of matches she carried in her cloak.

She ignored the rows of stacked books. She did not come for the official court records, for the acceptable renditions of Hyrule’s history. She was searching for a small box that she saw her father put away one quiet night, when she came upon him by chance. He startled, turning it away from her quickly. She remembered the shape of his smile at being caught, and she grew warm at the memory.

She approached a portrait of her mother, her gaze unflinching and serene. She had taken after her almost entirely, with the exception of her hair - she inherited her father’s brown color rather than the striking blonde of her mother. He was standing in front of this portrait with the box long ago - and if she knew her father…

She lifted the painting and set it aside, encountering a small safe. She tried several numbers - the soft turns of the lock encouraging her to try again. Until she heard the _click._ It edged open, revealing the very same box her father held all those years ago. She took it, feeling its weight in her hands. It was a very simple box, unassuming and worn. She took a deep breath - and opened it.

Inside was only a key. Zelda took it in her hand, turning it over in her palm. It was brass, with a long stem tipped with complicated rows of grooves. Realization dawned on her like a flash of light, cutting through her. She knew where she must go.

Setting the box back inside the safe, she promptly closed it, and covered it with the painting once again. She stood there, admiring her mother’s painted beauty for a moment -

She blew out the candle in one swoop of her breath, pocketed it into her cloak along with the key, and quickly left the library.

She went back the way she came, back through the empty halls of the south wing, making sharp turns here and there - she was searching for a particular passageway, one that connected her father’s old bedchamber and an escape tunnel that winded through far beyond Castle Town to the west.

The Dark History. That phrase inhabited every dead-end question she had, the intermediary in-between the unanswered connections. It was time for her to find out the truth, before more misfortune fell upon the kingdom.

She took a sharp turn at a next corridor and opened its door, revealing a deserted hallway and its singular fireplace. Zelda stepped into its hearth and pushed - the hidden corridor revealed itself to her. She jerked her head behind her, hearing the door open on the other end of the deserted hallway - her heart hitched, she held her breath, and closed the hidden entrance as quickly as she could. She heard the steps of a monstrous guard walk past moments after she heard the stone set itself softly against its opening. She placed her hand over her heart, and dashed towards the direction of her late father’s bedchamber.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda lit the candle, taking in her father’s old space. It had gone largely unchanged, the servants leaving it untouched out of respect, aside from a perfunctory cleaning. She felt her heart grow tight, and she shook her head. This was not the time for sentimentality.

She placed the candle in an unused lantern that lay on top of her father’s sprawling desk, peeking through its contents, searching for anything that might be of particular value. Nothing aside from sheets of paper, a diary, letters. She decided to take them, stacking a small pile of objects to be brought back to her temporary prison.

She looked around, thinking, wondering, attempting to cement herself in her father’s place - where would he hide something? Not the closet, not underneath the bed, not tucked underneath the stone floor…

Her face lit up, turning towards a bookshelf that rose from floor to ceiling. Her father wouldn’t hide it. He would keep it in plain sight, in the most unassuming binding.

She scored the entirety of the bookshelf, eyes narrowing. These were all very rare tomes of books, some of them writings of previous members of the Royal Family of Hyrule. All rich reds, and greens, some trimmed in gold, purples…her eyes laid upon one simple, dark brown spine at eye level.

She reached out, her hand faltering for a split second, then firmly gripped the book out of its resting place. She replaced it with another unassuming tome from her father’s desk, then took a good look at the book she was searching for. It indeed had a lock, a dark brass one with the Hyrule crest printed in a small corner of the worn leather. This was it. 

She took the papers, her father’s diary, and the locked book, tucking them tightly against her body. With one last look around her father’s room, she made her way out.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

She arrived back at the tower, relieved that there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. There would be no more guards for the next several hours, as they had gotten used to her sleeping cycle. She rearranged her bedding and took apart her successful sleeping decoy, then took a chair and sat down next to the fire with the locked book. She fished out the key from within her cloak, and gripped it firmly in her hand. A piece of firewood collapsed in the hearth with a loud _crack_ , showering embers onto the stone floor. With a trembling hand, she inserted the length of the key into the lock, and turned. 

_Click._

The lock fell away with a hefty bow, landing upon her thigh, the book heavy with its secrets. Zelda closed her eyes and breathed in deeply - then gripped the cover and pulled it back, bending its spine open. There was no title, only a short 1-page preface.

_By_ _order of the High Royal Family of Hyrule, no record of this event is allowed beyond what is written henceforth._

_Only the direct descendants of the High Royal Family are permitted access to this secret knowledge._

_May Peace and Prosperity granted to us by the Goddesses always walk with us._

It was signed by her Great-Great Grandmother - Princess Zelda. 

Zelda opened to the next page, and began to read. Slowly at first, absorbing every single detail, her mind’s eye creating a clear image. She saw a figure struggling against a large, black stone, she saw her Great-Great Grandmother speaking at length with her respective father, she saw the sages, she saw shadows, she saw herself.She saw her own body observing from a seat in the Arbiter’s Grounds, her dress drastically different, her fingers gripped tightly against her palms, drawing blood, teeth snarling. She saw the murder of the sage by Ganondorf, she saw her father command Ganondorf to be cast upon the Twilight Realm, and she heard his piercing scream echo across the hot sands as his body fragmented and disappeared into the swirling portal. She felt her heart pounding, and a flash of light from The Mirror of Twilight reflected onto her - she gazed upon it, the colosseum of the Arbiter’s Grounds all but vanished - and saw her own face looking back at her. And then the mirror cracked. 

She snapped her head up from the book, her forehead coated in cold sweat, her throat dry, and her hand bathed in light. She ripped the glove off her arm. 

It was her who wrote the book. The Dark History was in her own writing, her own voice. Its contents triggered visions of a life past, awakening her. 

And emblazoned upon her hand was the sacred symbol of the Goddesses. The Triforce. 

Zelda raised her arm, the Triforce glowing in its sacred golden light,awestruck by the terrible beauty beaming from within her.

_“I pray to thee, capricious Goddesses - do not abandon me now.”_


	2. Visisons

Aside from his initial storming of her throne room and relaying his demands for Zelda to surrender, Zant did not make much use of Hyrule Castle. He kept tabs on her state of imprisonment daily from the captain posted in her home, and felt it fit to let him continue overseeing this part of his newly acquired lands. Overall, it had not been as strenuous of an experience. She was uncertain in the beginning, in the initial defeat. The anxiety of whether or not she’d be questioned, and subjected to any unusual methods of ‘extracting information’, was a rotten apple sitting in the pools of her fear. Now the most dreadful part of the whole thing was the cold. She did not eat, her appetite suspended as if it also became another shadow. However, she still felt the sting of thirst, and was provided with a pail of fresh water daily by the guards. While she remained unchanged in the flesh, she suspected her body was in tune with the spectre of life rhythm The Twilight cast upon everything. Most of all, she worried for the people, reduced to wisps, in a perpetual state of nonbeing. She wondered how long they could collectively remain in this form before it was too late to return to a human life. She didn’t want to linger on those thoughts for long - there was not much she could do.

She stroked the back of her right hand, tracing the triangular pattern of that cursed symbol. If she was chosen by the Goddesses, why did she continue to remain powerless? Or is it that she simply did not know how to harness their fearsome blessing?

The gravity of all her ignorance settled more into her mind, the more she read The Dark History she herself wrote lifetimes ago. The Twilight Realm, its mirror, the cruel punishments. She could not have fathomed Hyrule’s leaders conducting such reprehensible deeds in the name of justice. It went beyond simple imprisonment or banishment. To wield the power of the Goddesses in such a way, as to condemn a soul to Hell itself - she felt her heart pale in the horror of being cast away into an unknown abyss. She felt herself channel her Great Great Grandmother, in concurrent visions, her conviction and desperate fear. The Demon Thief, Chief of the Gerudo Tribe, who dared commit blasphemy by entering The Sacred Realm, cast away and sent into another place so alien and unforgiving as nothing but the most fitting punishment.

And now, the abyss coughed up the repercussions of those decisions.

She was not innocent. No matter how often she could try and wash her hands from the past.The blood may have been carried away by the water, but its stain remained permanently stamped upon her hand. Lifetime, after lifetime…

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Since the time of her Great Grandmother, many things in Hyrule have changed. The most dramatic one was the disappearance of the Gerudo from Hyrule - they had already been in a state of decline before Ganondorf amassed his armies out in the emptiness of the desert, but once he was banished, their glittering city was never to be found again. It was as if the desert swallowed them whole one night, extinguishing the lamps of their homes forever. Perhaps they had carved out another place, somewhere far beyond the borders of the land. Zelda had hoped so.

The only thing that remained was the structure of The Arbiter's Grounds, one built initially as a liaison between Hyrule and Gerudo. However, its true purpose was concealed on behalf of The High Royal Family. They knew what lurked beneath those desert sands, the mirror and stone who were forged by the Goddesses themselves. And when the threat to the stability of the kingdom became paramount, the Hylian royal family set to it to reveal the hidden treasures kept underneath the coliseum.

It was a bitter time. Sieges, plunders, terror, fire and death.

And now, different uncertainties.

Zelda had to keep herself level when she felt another vision wash upon her in her dark tower. Gripping the arm of the chair in front of the window, body tensing, neck bending back with an open mouth. It was as if it came in gasps, flashes of memories, and she emerged from those depths as if she were breaking water above her head. A painful baptism. She felt compelled to bear its absolute intensity. She was chosen. Not because she was the most prepared to receive these fragments, but because the situation called upon her to bear witness, and to be witnessed. It was as if she were looking at herself from both sides of a mirror. She held that irony like a rose, admiring the connections between it all. She remained suspended in the center, the tendrils of the past all congregating around her, binding her. What other opportunity but imprisonment would have afforded her the luxury of relaxation and recovery throughout the days and nights, the chills that would wash over her as another image unveiled itself.

At times she felt herself like a child, and honest tears welled in her eyes. She was afraid, and in those moments of weakness, she yearned for a human touch. She wanted another witness. She couldn’t even go to the temple to seek refuge in the Goddesses.

She increasingly felt disconnected from her body, feeling like a sexless mold, a silhouette without an owner or shape. Her circadian rhythm became irrelevant. She became tuned to the miasma, and wished she was indisposed of her body instead. She thought in flashes of bitterness that the rest of Hyrule was absolutely blessed through this terror. Being a spirit suspended among the Twilight was preferable to this.

She also thought of the boy turned into a wolf often. She wondered what unfortunate fate fell upon his family, upon him. Midna felt very compelled to take him with her into the world, guiding and directing him.

Shortly after Zant took control of the Castle and left, Midna made her first appearance. She smiled widely and appraised Zelda with a mixture of arrogance and pity.

_“Pleased to meet you, Princess of Hyrule. We should talk.”_

The two sat at length, sharing information about what had happened. Who Zant was, the events that took place in the Twilight, the urgency to find a human willed into the form of a beast.

Zelda learned that she was also the previous ruler of the Twilight. And that she was hunted for, searched far and wide.

_“Zant usurped my throne. He was a minor nobleman, the equivalent of an earl or something akin to that in your world. However, his father held great sway in court with my father, as they were boyhood friends, and so he was a fixture on the palace grounds…a common sycophant without any particularly memorable qualities. We were raised together. I could not foresee him committing this atrocious act.”_

Midna laughed bitterly, holding her head in her hands. _“He courted me incessantly, attempting to win my favor so that he would become Prince Consort or something. I wish he remained the bumbling fool instead of,”_ Midna waved her hand, _“All this occurring. I remember the day when something began to unsettle me about him…his energy shifted. There was a malignant aura trailing about him. A foreign force, not of our world.”_

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda began reading her Father’s diary, its date beginning on the day of her birth all those years ago. Many happy memories concerning her early years, happy moments with his wife, her mother. Incessant worries began to accumulate sometime after her death, and before he passed, many feverish unconnected scribbles regarding The Dark History. 

_Crimes soon turn in the soil, the soil heavy with the blood_

_OF PAST many years many bodies the unaccounted soon_

_will have their day not UNDER THE SUN_

_but UNDER THE DUSK set IN STONE_

Zelda wished she would have known more of her father’s multitude of worries, to better have consoled him. She understood he was attempting to protect her, but his lack of disclosure only delayed the inevitable. Perhaps a mortal man not made for these times was not fit to reveal these secrets to her. A sudden wave of gratitude washed over her for her father’s wisdom. She weeped for him, the wounds of his passing exposed once more. 

Her coronation as leader of Hyrule was a daze in her memory. All she remembered were the fixture of the three Goddesses atop of the throne room, their tongues frozen in gentle mockery, and when she retreated to her chambers, the new diadem upon her head unfamiliar and cumbersome. 

She reached for it now, gingerly. It wasn’t much use aside from protecting her from harm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you guys think of it so far, I have a lot of ideas to where to bring this story to. thank you for reading!


	3. Transitions

Zelda gazed upon herself in a hand mirror, her hands trailing about her features. She had changed, a subtle shift. She felt her gaze land differently onto her face, eyes not hardened but colder. How many days have passed, she was not aware of. Her sleep returned with a powerful force, and she awoke one day feeling as if it had been days since she had risen from her bed. She took a sip from the pail of water - its staleness confirmed her suspicion.

That week she began to attempt to control the glow of the Triforce upon her hand. She held still in concentration, as she was taught by the priestesses in the temples. When she felt still, tipping into the deeper part of her consciousness, she felt the new current running within her. It was difficult to tread its thread, but soon enough she found its center. And when she found it, the holy mark shone softly upon her hand. She imagined it as a shining disk underneath her skin, spinning softly with the pulse of her blood. Her blood, the blood of her mother, the blood of some divinity. She felt lighter, and welcomed its golden glow in absence of the sun upon her face.

The weeks passed in this manner, one after the other.

One day she received a vision of the great potential to bestow life that the Triforce gave her, the strongest one thus far. It came upon her like a flash, and as she attempted to reach the chair she used to receive visions, she stumbled against the stone floor, collapsing.

Everything was suspended in darkness. There was not only nothing, she was the emptiness of nothing. There were no borders, no boundaries, only a great expanse. She understood this state was the creation of the world, the primordial darkness of the Goddesses' wombs. Before strife, before peace, there was only one state of being. Lights flickered about her, their many colors setting her shape down onto a beautiful field at the bottom of the dark space. She layed upon the soft grass, the blooms. It was so soft. It was so beautiful. Feelings of content bliss washed upon her, cradling her to a distant shore. Then everything changed. She was suddenly in a great hall, running towards the Triforce upon a pedestal. It was dark, lined with singular pillars, emptiness beyond them. She climbed its steps and fell upon its center, immediately engulfed in its light. Her entire body floated within the golden cradle of its glow, her hair whipping about her face, a peace unparalleled. She felt her heart expand with love. Wisdom.

She arose afterwards, head pulsing. The fire had gone out and it was pitch dark within the room. A guard had left a small cloth hanging from the pail of water. Thoughtful.

She stumbled towards it, dampening its soft cotton and patting it onto her face.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Suddenly one day, the Twilight shroud lifted from the land. She gasped as she saw the sunlight reach into her window, and she dashed out of her room through the hidden chute within the tower’s floor. 

The monstrous guards had disappeared. The halls was largely empty, as she ordered all civilians to evacuate when the siege upon the castle fell. Her running steps echoed throughout the space. When she reached the lower levels, she began encountering the a few soldiers that were left in the castle. They were all disoriented, confused. She tried to gather as many as she could and directed them to find others - to gather food and water from Castle Town to feed those within the walls. They agreed at once. 

That day she had her first meal and bath in what felt like months. She savored the flavor of the simple dish - mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. When she drew her bath, she felt as if her ghostly form disappeared into the water. She thoroughly enjoyed the warmth after spending weeks in a cramped, cold room, and took time washing off the stiffness in her limbs. Her mind was buzzing with ideas on how to address her people - she decided to make an announcement the next morning from her public balcony, addressing the entirety of Castle Town. 

That afternoon a torrential downpour fell upon the land, a fearsome storm unlike any she had seen in recent memory. Lightning flashed through the windows, thunder booming through the stone in the castle. She retired back to the Tower, feeling as if it were the safest place for her during this time. She opened a window, feeling the fresh rainwater on her face, cleansing the stoney relief in her heart.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

She was shocked to see the the boy-wolf and Midna appear suddenly one evening. 

She saw Midna’s pale form languished, faded, remote. Her breath ragged, her life trailing away. Her heart ached for the small form underneath her, Midna’spain eclipsing the still air in the room.

_“Please, help him…”_

Zelda remained very still, listening to all that Midna explained. Then Zelda revealed her blessing to both of them, the soft glow of her hand outlining the Triforce. It became difficult to listen to Midna, as the Triforce of Wisdom overwhelmed her inner monologue and spoke directly to her. Instructing her as to what to do, and easing her doubts. 

_“Be not afraid,”_ It whispered in her heart. _“Help her…”_

She reached out with her hand, entrusting herself in the Triforce’s power. The last thing she heard for many days was Midna’s voice, caught in her throat, warning the boy-wolf named Link, the other being blessed by the will of the Goddesses. 

She felt her form disappear, like she did in the last vision she received from the Triforce. Her whole body was bathed in light, borderless, without end. The pulsing life giving force, a part of her, becoming Midna as well. Her consciousness shifted - all was light, and then all was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main plot begins after this chapter. 😌 thanks for reading!


	4. Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter borrows dialogue heavily from The Twilight Princess manga, chapter 39, with some liberties here and there. I highly recommend reading the manga!

**_Awaken…_ **

**_Awaken!!_ **

White thoughts from the ether floated and sparked from beyond the darkness of Zelda’s consciousness, flitting about her, stirring her from her slumber. 

_“Who is it that calls me from this sleep?”_

_It is I…_

“Who…?” She replied, her heavy eyelids opening slowly, readjusting to her surroundings.

_Awaken, Zelda!!_

She recognized that voice instantly from the depths of the new memories the visions gave her, and awoke with great urgency. She found herself hanging far above the top of her throne, arms stretched on either side, suspended in the shape of a cross in the middle of the carved Triforce. The Goddess statues were decapitated, defaced, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She peered down and was met with a man who had all but disappeared into the flow of time.

“You are…Ganondorf.” She called out, eyebrows furrowing in anger. 

He was an imposing man in his armor and flowing cape, his ancient crown glistening in the light of the throne room, the ruby on his forehead flashing darkly.

“Should I say it has been…a long time?” His index finger glowed in a malignant light, directing it towards Zelda. She was slowly released from her captured state above her throne, and landed upon the floor with a soft swoosh.

“No…it is our first meeting in _this_ world.” He continued, laying his hand upon his chest and bowing to her. “It is a great honor to meet you, Princess. I’ll say that.” He finished, smiling broadly. 

Zelda did not reply, feeling shaken. 

“Come, I’m sure you have many questions.” He gestured towards the entrance to the throne room. “Let us retire to a more fitting place to discuss matters.”

Zelda closed her eyes and quickly ran through the options in her head. She was unaware of how much time had passed since she was last awake, no longer had the power of the Triforce accompanying her, and now her castle was once again under the control of someone else. She did not have much of a choice.

She began to walk, and tripped across the threshold of her throne, her legs shaking. Ganondorf caught her, steadying her. 

“Princess, allow me.” He offered the crook of her arm. “You have been asleep for some time.”

Zelda frowned and breathed in deeply. She gingerly intertwined her arm into his, feeling herself steady. She felt weaker than she wanted to admit, her legs like jelly.

The first thing Zelda noticed when they exited her throne room, was the golden pyramid now encasing the entirety of the castle, shimmering and casting a soft glow upon the grounds. She did not like this. 

They walked the rest of the way slowly, in silence, Ganondorf taking care not to rush Zelda. She observed that many monstrous guards had returned to the grounds, deformed creatures, and enchanted suits of armor that sprung to life in salute to their master in the empty hallways. 

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

At last, they entered a sitting room, decorated with a long table adorned with a fresh, white tablecloth, a teapot, tea cups, candelabra, and flowers. Ganondorf pulled the chair out for Zelda, and she sat down.

_“_ Where…” Zelda began, as Ganondorf poured a cup for her.

“Before I rose you from your sleep, I fetched some servants to attend to us during our time together. A sparse few, who will cook and clean.” He filled his own teacup, smelling its aroma deeply. 

Zelda’s heart went out to them, and she decided to speak to them, comfort and reassure them later. 

“I have always wanted…to talk with you at leisure at least once.” He said, setting his teacup down on its saucer and smiling.

She remained silent, glaring at him.

“Don’t look so displeased. Don’t we go way back?” He offered. “No. Or should I call it a cursed and corrupted connection?” He rose the back of his right hand, revealing the glowing blessing of the Goddesses. The Triforce of Power, glowing at the peak of that symbol. “The _chain_ that binds us with this detestable triangular mark apparently never breaks…no matter how many times I die or even if I fall into Hell itself.”

A small bird darted across the window, its shadow disappearing in the blink of an eye. 

“I’m happy from the bottom of my heart that we could meet. Truly.” Ganondorf finished, closing his eyes and nodding. 

Zelda narrowed her eyes. “ _You_ were executed almost 100 years ago. How did you come back to life?”

Ganon frowned deeply, his gaze solemn. “Yes, well…I was executed in the desert and sent to The Twilight Realm, on the orders of that era’s King of Hyrule. The one who advised the King to execute me was…Princess Zelda.” He pointed to her, glaring, and Zelda matched his gaze. “You are not the same person as _that_ Zelda…but as the ‘Zelda’ who inherited The Triforce of Wisdom, you who have now awakened understand how things are. Am I wrong?”

Zelda cast her gaze downwards, choosing her words carefully. “The Ganondorf that The Royal Family of Hyrule’s ancestors cast away in that Dark History. The Chief of the Gerudo Tribe, the people of the desert. The Ganondorf who murdered the king, set fire to the castle, took Hyrule for his own…who trampled upon The Sacred Realm, seized the power of the Triforce…and tried to seize the remaining two fragments.” 

She continued coolly. “The Hero of that age defeated you and prevented it from continuing. _I_ turned back time seven years, as if nothing happened. Peace returned to Hyrule…and then, when you who knew nothing in a different time, came for an audience with the King, I had you captured. And before you could retaliate, I had you executed to prevent destruction in advance. Time continued, peace and stability flourished. I was born.”

Ganondorf listened intently. 

“ _My_ parents - the King and his wife - did not teach **_me_** this Dark History. They hid it from me.”

Ganondorf chuckled, laying his head on his knuckles. “When did you remember all that? Or should I say, when did you come back to life?”

“Yes…” Zelda began. “When I…opened a written record of The Dark History while I was imprisoned in the tower after Zant’s attack. It prompted The Triforce of Wisdom to cause an awakening…and I realized I had written it myself.”

“I see.”

“Was the Shadow King Zant the one who awakened you?” Zelda asked.

“No. I am using him. I became a spirit body upon entering The Twilight Realm…and remembered that all the events of the past, all that I had done, had been erased and made as if it never happened.” He gripped his fist tightly. “I understood why The Royal Family of Hyrule executed me, and the real reason they feared me.”

He took the teapot and refilled his own cup. “The Twilight Realm was a far better place for cultivating my dark ambitions. But there was one problem. I did not know a way to return to the light. And then…I found someone who harbored a similar ambition, bestowed a little power…and had him instigate a rebellion at the palace in their world, and open a path for my return to the world of light. Now I just need to wait for that boy to come.” He smirked, whisking his hand above the teacup, its water swirling and offering a clear vision. It was of Link in front of a fire, roasting a meal.

Ganondorf tapped the teacup and its contents disappeared. “It appears he has not yet awakened his full potential. It shows he is suffering various hardships. If he faces me the way he is now, I will have the upper hand.” He smiled broadly. 

“All may not go as you think.” Zelda responded. “The Hero is not alone. He has a companion who helps him.”

Ganondorf guffawed, taking a sip of his tea. “A companion? No matter how numerous you Hylians may be…you are all merely worms squirming in the Earth!”

“If the three of us are destined to meet repeatedly…” Zelda held her gaze to his face, her eyebrows furrowing sharply. “Then it is inevitable that The Hero will once again defeat you.”

Ganondorf’s lip curled, gripping the china tightly with his fist. “ ** _No._ **I will end that **_here._** ” He shot up from his seat, shattering the cup in his grasp. “Without FAIL!” He whisked its broken contents away, liquid trailing off his hand. “ ** _He_** is coming.” He turned towards the window, his back to Zelda. “I feel each moment, deep in my bones. I will give him a fine reception!” 

Zelda remained silent.

“The day soon approaches when I shall take my revenge against that impudent boy…who cut me down, and killed me. I cannot wait.” He turned his head to her, his smile baring his teeth. “I wanted to share my delight with someone…so I decided to wake you.” Ganondorf threw his head back and laughed, a booming sound emanating from deep within his chest.

Zelda felt an out of place sadness reach her heart. She thought of her Great Great Grandmother surveying The Hero of that age, bowed to her in piety. Zelda wondered if she thought her descendant would face the same man again.

Ganondorf turned to her again, his cape swooshing broadly behind him. It was a sunny morning, and the light poured into the room. Zelda could not remember the last time she saw the sun for this long.

“It seems…you and The Lord Hero are always on good terms, conspiring to defeat me. But that’s a little unfair.”

Zelda’s confusion appeared on her face, her eyebrow raised. 

“It’s imbalanced,” Ganondorf continued, “Only the three of us have the Triforce…so shouldn’t we all be more friendly?”

“What are you trying to convince me of?” Zelda responded, lips prim.

Ganondorf gazed upon her for a moment, taking her question in. “I am merely asking…if we might cooperate.”

Zelda remained still. The weight of the question layed upon the room, thickening the sunlight with its multitude of consequences. Something burned within Zelda, and an anger she had never felt rise upon her emerged.

She shot up from her chair immediately, her head light. “Out of the question. You are the enemy of Hyrule!” Her frown ran through her face, eyes narrowed, and baring teeth. “Don’t take me for nothing more than a fine doll good only for decoration. If the need arises, I will _not_ hesitate to take up a sword and fight you to the death.”

Ganondorf closed his eyes and joined his hands together, bowing his head. “Excellent, Your Majesty. That is precisely why…I would like you as an ally.” 

They remained standing in their respective places across the table, the air tense and heavy. The sun filtered in dreamily through the golden pyramid.

“I do not wish to court your anger, Zelda. After all,” He placed his hands behind his back. “I have forgiven you - yes. You are innocent of the crimes of deception that your ancestor committed, something that is paramount to a sin among us Gerudo.”

“Ganondorf. You expect me to function as you do. To seize any opportunity to gain power, dominion. I’m afraid your reputation precedes you. Your obsessions have driven you to the heights of extremes,” Zelda flashed a wicked smile, “To the lowest of fates.”

The man half-chuckled, half-growled. “I’m happy I rose you from your sleep.” He raised his head, appraising her from the corner of his eye. “I believe we will have a very…interesting time together here.” He strode over to her, and Zelda stood her ground, sizing him up. 

“You are free to wander about the castle as you please. It is, _your_ home, after all. Every evening we will join one another for dinner in the dining hall promptly at 6 o’clock sharp. Tonight will be special. I will escort you from your chambers and we will convene in the throne room.” He walked towards the door and opened it for her, bowing. “I hope you will be delighted.”

Zelda paused. “Do not fear, Princess. No one shall cause you harm. I have given _strict_ orders to safeguard your wellbeing.”

Zelda, not willing to show weakness, strode cleanly out the door.

“Remember, 6 o’clock tonight. Please be dressed for the occasion.”

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Once she was well out of his presence, out of his sight, Zelda chose an empty room and closed the door softly behind her. She slid against the door onto the floor, breathing raggedly. Her body felt completely exhausted. How long had she been asleep again? Her body must have gone without food or water for some time. She took a moment to ease the hurried beating of her heart, holding her chest with her hand. She then stepped out of the room, and made her way to the kitchens. 


	5. Celebration

Zelda felt much better after she had something to eat and drink. When she went to the kitchens she was met with the relief of some the servants she knew, who all had their moment of fawning over Zelda’s wellbeing, overjoyed that she was still alive. They fixed her a proper plate of herbs, greens, parsnips, and gooseberry sauce. She was happy to see other Hylians again as well, to talk with other living people. It comforted her more than they knew. She vowed that they will not see harm done unto them, told them to go along and do whatever was asked of them, and to keep their heads low. 

After gathering all of the books and papers from her tower, she gave it one last look before closing the door behind her, making her way back down to her own bedchambers for the first time since Zant’s siege occurred.

She felt a rush of comfort after locking her bedroom door. It had been cleaned recently, with fresh flowers placed in a vase on the table in front of the windows. She set aside her father’s old diary and letters, and hid the written record of The Dark History in her secret spot, within a loose stone tile tucked away in the corner of her room. She laid on her bed and it felt like the embrace of an old friend, coming to greet her once more, the soft down cradling her. The sun was welcome upon her face. Zelda remained still for some time. She then rose, opening a small window for fresh air, then retired to the wash room attached to her chambers.

She promptly undressed, then heated water atop a small furnace tucked away next to the tub. She poured it from the pails into the bath, and when the tub was full enough, slipped into its steam. She washed her hair thoroughly and scrubbed her body, trying to become reacquainted with her flesh. She found that she had missed it dearly, and gave herself a strong embrace, rubbing her arms. Even though she had been asleep for days before today, she felt her tired body wind into relaxation and fell into a nap.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

She woke up when the afternoon sun fell onto her face. She had been sleeping for several hours she gathered - she exited the tub and dried off, slipping into her undergarments. Her legs felt sturdier, firmer. She took a look at the sundial posted in front of one of her windows, and saw it was past 4pm. 

She sighed and sat in front of her vanity. She was in one the peaks of her youth, and yet had seen more than any normal person could bear. She saw the gaunt look about her, dark circles underneath her eyes. She had been alone for half a year, tasked to receive countless visions, and now she was reduced to a prisoner in her own home once again. She suddenly wondered when was the last time she had her menses, placing her hand below her belly button. She touched her sides, feeling her ribs protruding sharply through her slip. The rhythm of her physical body had been greatly disturbed. Her priority for the next several days was to ground herself back into a human rhythm, eat, exercise. To get strong again, to be able to run and fight if she needed to.

She brushed her hair, letting the water tumble through the teeth of her comb, laying coolly on her back. Judging by the warmth of the breeze through her window, it was spring. 

Zelda did not care to ‘dress’ for any occasion that Ganondorf had planned, no doubt a ceremony to reaffirm his conquest of the castle, and subsequently, her. What type of gathering he had in mind she did not know. Zelda did not want to go. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. But perhaps an unwillingness to dress finely would be a show of weakness - it could convey a multitude of meanings. That she was mentally fatigued, that she had given in to the captured state of her castle, or if she didn’t participate that she just might be physically unwell. 

However, Zelda did feel physically unwell. She suspected that a piece of her own spirit parted from her body when she bestowed the life giving power of the Triforce to Midna. And no amount of bedrest would help her recuperate that wholeness. She wondered if one day she’d ever regain it again. The buzzing current of the Triforce that she had become acquainted with during her time in the tower had disappeared. And she felt empty without it, as it had very quickly become another one of her senses, an extension of her body.

The sun was dipping lower across the sky and Zelda made her decision. She would attend whatever celebration that man had concocted, and she would dress the part, to send the message clear that she was amused and willing to play along.

She took out a fine gown she wore last year during a ball that brought together all of the far-flung nobles for the Spring Equinox, the last time her father would head any official events before he passed. It was a beautiful lilac and gold trimmed piece, sewn with lotus silk spun by the Zora. She did up her most simple corset loosely, placed her brass armor upon her shoulders, tied the matching Hylian crest that hung across her hips. She did her hair, segmenting the two strands along each ear and braiding the low strand down her back. She then placed her crown upon her head. She stowed her precious dagger inlaid with jade underneath her skirts, snug securely in a harness. She laced up her boots, and lastly slipped on cream satin gloves. She was ready. 

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda remained still in front of the window, enjoying the spring breeze until she heard a knock. She closed her eyes and breathed in evenly. 

She opened the door and met with Ganondorf, who bowed to her. 

“Good evening, Princess. How happy I am that you felt fit to join the celebration tonight.” 

“Good evening.” She replied simply, and began walking her way in the direction of her throne room. Ganondorf matched her pace beside her. They walked in silence for some time, the shadows of the late afternoon peeking through windows and underneath doors.

“You murdered the rest of the guards, didn’t you?” Zelda asked, suddenly realizing that she had no seen a single soldier. 

Ganondorf frowned. “I’m afraid so. But murder wouldn’t be a fitting word. They were demoralized, weak. None of them were fit to defend you or your castle. I took no pleasure in cutting them down.”

_“Oh spirits, forgive my lack of leadership.”_ She thought, her heart aching. So many have died.

The late light of the day refracted against the golden pyramid, taking on a warm hue. Before they arrived at the throne room she heard the faint beatings of drums, and a plume of smoke wafting about the breeze. Becoming instantly alarmed, Zelda began to dash towards the throne room, but Ganondorf’s hand laid upon her shoulder.

“Do not be unsteady, Your Majesty,” Ganondorf began, “They are preparing for our arrival.” Zelda narrowed her eyes, and pushed his hand off her, continuing onward to the throne room at a quicker pace. 

Once she arrived at the threshold of her throne room, she was met with an unprecedented scene. It was completely thrashed, a great fire burning in the center with many bulbins dancing about it, others on the perimeter beating large drums. Once they both arrived, a hush fell upon the entire gathering, as they all bowed and parted a way for Ganondorf and Zelda. 

“Let your Princess through.” He boomed through the throng.

Zelda walked straight across to her throne, lamenting the kicked about and chipped heads of the Goddess statues aside it, and sat down. 

Ganondorf made some type of speech - she was unable to pay full attention. Something about his great return, vengeance, destruction, and capture of the castle and of Hyrule. He had all of the Bulbins bow deeply to Zelda out of a show of respect. Faux or genuine respect, she couldn’t tell. And when he was finished, the bulbins cheered, and began beating their drums again, adding more timber to the fire. 

Zelda’s whole body was vibrating with a combination of anger, embarrassment verging on humiliation, and the sting of defeat. It emanated throughout her chest, burning through her throat. She found herself trembling with the intensity of the scene, eyes and expression remaining as neutral as she could will it.

“Are you enjoying the celebrations, Zelda?” Ganondorf asked, laughing, an arm resting on the side of her throne. “These are the descendants of some of my most loyal soldiers in my past armies. They’ve been waiting for my resurrection. This is very well the most auspicious day of their entire lives.” 

Zelda did not respond, looking straight out onto a distant point. She called upon the strength of Nayru, her patron Goddess, whose head lay right next to her feet. She felt the prickling of tears threaten to fall, but they quickly faded back into the blue of her eyes. She was being paraded as a trophy, as a prize looted from conquest; a beautiful doll sitting from her throne. She had the sudden thought, a pang of pain, of how many times this has happened to her before? Not _her_ , the individual Zelda, but all Zelda’s before her or those who existed beyond another river of time. These feelings, this moment, being woven into the greater tapestry of struggle between all those who were chosen to bear the blessing of the Goddesses. Was she chosen to be a perpetual captive? To never enjoy the simple pleasures of a young woman?

The drumming, the frenzy, the noise, the heat, it all suddenly became too much. She shot up from her seat, and Ganondorf was taken aback at her sudden movement. The sound of the drums ceased, bulbins gazing in her direction. 

“Let her through,” Ganondorf barked, frowning.

She began to make her way through the throng, the bulbins all bowing to her and inching away from her path. She left the throne room in a hurry, the dusk falling across the sky beyond the golden pyramid. She heard the thrum of the drums beat again in the distance behind her. She felt she could not run, her chest heaving. She felt the tears falling smoothly across her cheeks, her anger caught in her throat, a snarl escaping through her lips. 

She reached her bedchambers and slammed the door behind her, locking it. She ripped the gloves off her hands, tore her crown away from her head. She fumbled with a chest of drawers, finding matches, and lighting the candelabra on her bedside table. She tore the laces off her boots, kicking them away. She then sunk into her bed, covering her eyes. 

She laid there for the rest of the evening, feeling her breath catch in her chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was so fun to write, RIP zelda's feelings


	6. Gardens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some soft sexual content at the end! thanks for reading <3

Zelda stirred with the soft closing of her door early in the morning. 

She had fallen asleep without preparing herself to be decent the morning after - she just undid all of her clothing and left them in a pile on the floor next to her bed, which had now disappeared. The only thing she wore was the harness with her dagger strapped to her thigh. 

She quickly slipped into a nightgown and shrugged her robe on, noticing a tray of breakfast laid out onto the table in front of the windows. 

Zelda quickly freshened up in the bathroom then returned to her meal, a simple spread of various fruits, nuts, semolina, and black tea. She found herself to be turned off by it, and took a sip of tea instead. She had to eat - she had to become strong again. She took slow bites, chewing thoroughly, until she could will herself no more. She pushed the tray away, and finished her tea. 

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda needed to get out of the castle walls. She felt increasingly choked by the still air in the halls, in her room. So she found herself in the Royal Gardens, by its small greenhouse. Some of the gardens had died, she lamented, stirring her hands through brown leaves that fell at her touch. The greenhouse surprisingly was still thriving and vibrant. Perhaps the condensation within its structure and its refracted light, from when it was Twilight, helped the plants to sustain themselves better. She walked through it, taking care to see what had been planted. The smell in the greenhouse was thick, yet refreshing. She welcomed a new smell after her senses were compromised for far too long. Small sprouts lined trays here and there, lemon and lime trees put away in pots were budding blossoms, a foreign nut bearing tree from a country far to the south had bore its fruit. She took her dagger and cut it open through its middle, thick gooey hunks of seeds encased in a white butter lining its interior.She took a small piece and smelled it, its scent reminding her of a melon, then took a bite. It had a surprising sweetness, a flavor she was not expecting. Even though she did not find her appetite present earlier, she did now - and ate the entire pod of fruit, sucking on its seeds and putting them back in its husk when she was done. She read the name attached to the plant, chocolt. 

She noted that none of the monstrous creatures littering about the grounds had approached the gardens, large predatory birds swirling above her all but ignored her. Good. 

She discarded her fruit, and wandered back outside, imagining it in a more peaceful time. She could have been strolling through the gardens with a suitor, someone to share the beginnings of spring with. She had wanted to begin searching for one before all of this, to have a companion with her after the day was done, when she could take off her crown and just be Zelda. Once her father died, her distance between herself and others grew to an infinitely large chasm, a divide without hope of ever bridging. No one called her lovingly by her first name anymore. Now, that day was farther away still. 

She heard the rustle of steps behind her and her heart sank. She turned around and met with Ganondorf, his hands behind his back. He bowed to her. 

“Good morning, Zelda. It was a pity you left so early last night.”

She willed her face to remain neutral. “Good morning. It’s a pity you haven’t yet.”

Ganondorf laughed. “I see you’re in good spirits. I was concerned whether you had any strength left after dashing out of your throne room.”

Zelda turned around and walked away, but he followed behind her. 

“You’re just biding your time like a _vulture_ , aren’t you.” Zelda responded coolly, placing her hands neatly in front of her. “Watching and waiting for the perfect moment.”

“You seem to misunderstand. You already _are_ weak. I know you are no longer in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom.”

Zelda did not stop walking, but her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach. “What brought you to that unlikely conclusion?”

“I can feel them. It’s with that boy.”

Zelda stopped and turned to him, her hackles raised. “Is that so?”

“It is so. But do not fret, Princess. I’ve known it the moment I stepped into this castle.” He chuckled. “Your surprise amuses me. There is much you do not know. But it is not your fault - no one ever taught you its secrets.”

She frowned, narrowing her eyes. “You intended to make me aware that you knew I didn’t have it? Very well. I now know. Is there anything else?”

“Come now, don’t be so cross. I know it’s an uncomfortable position to be in. It might have actually been the best decision you made,” He continued, walking past her. “ _Because I would have torn it away from you._ ”

Zelda remained still in her place, watching the figure move away from her, her legs like jelly once again. She envisioned herself standing over his corpse, his eyes rolled back, the sword of The Hero plunged through his heart, the blood pooling out from his body. 

That day couldn’t come soon enough. 

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

He wanted to have dinner with her every night? Fine.

If this was a test of the will from the Goddesses, she would see it through the end. She sprinkled holy water over her head and recited a prayer, a supplication to Nayru for her enduring protection and wisdom. 

She got ready, her dagger radiating warmth from her inner thigh as she walked to the great dining hall, torches lit through the halls. She reached its doors and walked in, Ganondorf at the table. 

“I’m glad you came. I wondered whether you would decline, but I’m happy you didn’t.” 

She did not respond.  Ganondorf pulled out her chair at the head of the table and she sat down, surveying the spread. Roast slabs of thinly sliced boar, decorated greens and vegetables, jeweled rice, wine. He served her plate, and poured her wine.

“You should eat.”

Zelda took a sip of wine from her goblet, looking out at the setting sun beyond the windows.

“Princess. I would like to apologize for what I said earlier.” 

She turned to him, her expression even. “Oh? I seem to no longer recall.”

He sighed, shaking his head and slicing through his serving of meat. “You know very well what I said. I could tell it frightened you.”

“It seems that is what you intend to do, Ganondorf. Why offer apologies for your ‘great’ ambitions?”

He closed his eyes and placed his utensils on either side of his plate, sighing. “While I may have an earned grudge against your family…and while you may have inherited their plunder…you, the individual, have never done anything to deserve my aggression.”

“Perhaps I have. Perhaps sitting here I have earned everything, and more. Didn’t you say yourself? This ‘cursed’ connection?”

“That’s not the point,” He retorted. “The point is. I have no reason to try and provoke your fear or displeasure.” He finished with a softer voice, looking straight at her. “I am aware of your position. I do not envy you.”

“The Goddesses do not look fondly upon envy. Perhaps that was their will with me.” She smiled thinly, looking at him. “I do not envy you either.”

Ganondorf frowned, and began to eat again. They remained silent for a moment, the only sound the clinking of their utensils. 

“Do you know anything of the Gerudo?” Ganondorf asked. “Did they teach you anything of them?”

“Only that their entire town in the desert disappeared shortly after you were banished. It is an unfortunate end.”

“Yes, it is. Do you know why?”

Zelda looked at him evenly. “Not what you are planning to tell me. So tell me, Ganondorf. Why did the town disappear?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Hyrule was not _kind_ to the Gerudo. The economic, cultural, and societal decline of my people was not the natural way of things. As it stands, I, resurrected from my hideous grave, am most likely the only living Gerudo left in Hyrule.”

Zelda did not respond, and took a sip from her goblet. 

He looked at her intensely. “We were a great people. A prosperous people. What they have told you in your history lessons are lies. I was not The Demon Thief for an empty purpose. I was taking back what was rightfully _ours_.”

“I believe you, Ganondorf.” Zelda responded simply, taking a bite of rice. “I am not under any illusion that Hyrule is, or has been, a perfect kingdom. I know prior sovereigns have lied to you and yours.” She looked at him, sighing. “What you say is true. In my age, there are no longer any Gerudo in Hyrule. If things were different…I would have tried to establish better relations. That has been a priority since I became Princess Regent - to maintain amicable, strong relationships with the other peoples of this land, and those beyond it. But I’m afraid, even in my grandfather’s time…your people were not here.”

Ganondorf’s mounting anger deflated, and he looked away. “I see.”

“However,” Zelda smiled, “Your motivations were not purely to give back to your people, either. They were quite personal. They still are.”

Ganondorf snorted. “That is true. But you Hylians do not understand the meaning of _glory_. All you think of is duty.” He clenched his fist. “Your people do not understand the value of a struggle for greatness.”

Zelda glared at him. “Is ‘greatness’ burning entire villages to the ground? Destroying the lives of innocents?”

“You do not - “

“I do not what?” Zelda interrupted him, feeling her anger bubble back into her chest. “I do not understand wanton murder? That I, am too dense to see that your motivations were to capture The Sacred Power, and to wish upon it with your selfish desires? Tell me, Ganondorf - what _do_ you want most? If you could have _torn_ the Triforce away from my body, and kill The Hero for his piece, what would you wish for?”

Ganondorf curled his lip. “Don’t _test_ me - “

“Test you? Test you!” Zelda made a loud noise, tipping her head back. “Come now, Ganondorf. Surely, the Goddesses have placed us here together for a reason. Do not lie to me. Frighten me, harm me if you must - but do not lie to me.”

He pointed a finger at her. “You think you know what you’re talking about, but you haven’t the _slightest_ idea.”

“I think I know what I’m talking about. I’ve received vision, after vision-” She stopped short and shook her head, her eyes closed. “I understand what it is like to have this power speak to you, be a part of you. And you’ve let its raw current take over your heart, and turn you into a _be_ a _st_.”

Ganondorf turned his head away, growling. He remained quiet for some time. The candelabra on the table began to shine brighter as the sun dipped below the horizon, their jewelry twinkling against the light.

“Your actual desires do not mean anything to the Triforce. But rather, the depth, purity, and state of your heart.”

Zelda looked at him closely. 

“What I truly want,” Ganondorf began, gazing at her, his eyes furrowed. “Is for my people to return. For our town with its great walls to come alive again, and for me to take my rightful place as its ruler. To marry, to have a Gerudo wife, to be a father. To have things be as they once were. But they will never be the same again. However, my anger is entrenched into my soul. It is completely enmeshed with me, with the Triforce itself. It would only corrupt The Sacred Realm. My dearest wishes would never be granted.”

Zelda did not respond, her expression a mixture of shock and pity. 

Ganondorf sucked his tongue, growling. “Do not look at me with that face. You asked me to not lie - I will not lie. That is the truth.” He glared at her. “And you - while _you_ haven’t tried to kill me, _yet_ , you have aided that petulant boy in my death before. You have _my_ blood on your hands. And for that, I resent you.”

Zelda met his glare. “And you, are the direct cause of struggle and pain throughout countless of my lifetimes. Do not think I remember nothing, Ganondorf. I’ve seen your _face_ ,” She spat out that last word with more vitriol than she thought she could muster, “Far too many times more than I would have liked to in my visions, the anger, the sieges.”

They remained silent, their faces outlined by the flickering lights of the candles. She caught a glimpse of her goblet - she saw that she had drank a little too much than she would have liked. Perhaps the wine was loosening their tongues. 

Ganondorf chuckled, pouring himself more wine. “So, Zelda, tell me. How many more times do you think we’ll be beholden to one another?”

Zelda closed her eyes, shaking her head. “As long as the Goddesses will it to be so.”

He swiveled his goblet, his expression distant. “Do you think we’ll have the same roles every single time? I, as the eternal villain of Hyrule?” He chuckled, taking a sip. “I’ll be _content_ with that, I suppose.”

Zelda, suddenly feeling overcome with sadness, downed the rest of her wine and rose from her seat. “As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I must take my leave now. Good evening.”

Ganondorf rose, bowing to her. “Thank you for this lovely meal. Until tomorrow.”

Zelda frowned at his words and walked out of the hall, closing the doors firmly behind her.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda laid in bed, the candles on her beside table just blown out and wisping. She wondered how long this would last, this strange imprisonment. She saw herself, pieces of her life, falling away and turning to dust, never to return again. She wondered if Ganondorf would ultimately kill her before Link ever appeared. She felt saddened by that thought, and hugged herself. No one had hugged her in so long, she felt as if she was going to blow away like salt in the wind.

Her thoughts turned to happier times. Rushed, passionate moments with a stablehand who used to work at the castle when she was younger. She’d wake up before dawn to go down to meet him at the stables, her heart pounding in excitement. He was handsome, with firm hands and full lips. He was kind to her, and kind to the horses. They carried on their secret affair for several months, grinding against each other behind the fresh hay, but one day he left the castle. She never saw him again - it broke her heart.

She thought of the daughter of the Duchess of Central Hyrule, who she saw last spring at the ball. She had beautiful, thick black hair and smelled like a chrysanthemum. They had snuck out of the hall and found themselves in an empty room in the castle, fondling each other’s breasts and tasting each other, until they had to return to the celebrations, giggling.

Her hand trailed below, cupping the curve of her vulva, squeezing it firmly. She thought of a wedding night with her husband, a private party in the countryside with some of the noblewomen, moments of fullness. She felt moisture gather between her lips, her fingers slick. She thought of Link coming to rescue her, freeing her from this shadow. Of having a moment alone together after it was all over, to give him his prize and bestow praise upon him for all of his sacrifices, his strength, his bravery. She felt her fingers quicken, desire curling deep within her. She saw her legs spread, face down, a strew of kisses dotting her body. She wanted a raw physical rush, a thrill, tongue against tongue, and hands on her hips. 

In a moment she felt herself fill with pleasure, hips bucking upwards, mouth open in a silent moan. She came down hard, her closed eyes dizzy with stars, panting softly. 

She fell asleep almost instantly to the warmth in her chest. 


	7. Connections

The rains, once they arrived, never left.

A never-ending torrent just fell out of the heavens, grey clouds lined with the golden light of the shining pyramid behind them. The grey stones of the castle, the grey sky, became another veil draped over her body. She wished she could slice clean through it.

Zelda used an empty room near her bed chambers to do simple exercises. No matter how much she tried to push herself, her physical exhaustion would get the better of her. She had to stop frequently to catch her breath, leaning against the stone wall panting heavily. She couldn’t even handle the weight of her sword correctly, she lamented, tossing it away from her. It had been one of her most centering practices since girlhood - wielding it, learning how to hone its iron as an extension of herself. She thought back to her threat to Ganondorf. The only death she would fight to the end for would be her own. She gripped the hand where the Triforce used to be emblazoned upon her.

She began to feel Midna more. She understood the slippery language of the Twili within Midna’s inner mind, her trains of thought, open pools of her feelings. The connection slowly became stronger between them, even though she was miles away. She could feel the current of its power in that way, something she did not think was possible before. Zelda felt her sorrow, her anger, her determination. Moments where Midna gazed upon herself in that cursed state and shed a tear for her lost beauty and grace. Sometimes it was as if they were hand in hand together, sharing an atmospheric understanding. They were all around each other. Zelda knew Midna understood her struggle in this confinement, the lost piece of her glowing spirit giving Midna life. It motivated Midna to push further, to go farther. She saw flashes of her vision in her dreams at times, out in the open wilderness. In the desert, in the snowy mountains, with Link. They were proceeding on with their task successfully. This fact alone consoled Zelda. She put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes, sending love and a prayer to her. She felt Midna receive it and reciprocate it.

She saw glimpses of Midna’s memories. Happier times with her father and mother, outings to the remote coasts of her world, dark waters shifting and moving beneath her feet. She saw the moment where she was given the crown of her world, and the frustration of Zant as he stormed out of the throne room. She saw Midna’s coronation, her mixed feelings of doubt and duty. She felt Midna’s fear as Zant stormed her palace, her arms spread in front of her as she backed away from him, and the physical pain of a new body taking hold of her. She knew Midna had suffered greatly for Hyrule’s sins. If this imprisonment with a demon was Zelda’s weight to bear, then let it be so.

She continued to join him for dinner. Some nights were silent, the air thick with unspoken questions. Other nights were more explosive, Ganondorf’s anger hurled at her like knives and plunging into her skin. At times she just remained silent, drawing amusement from his impotence. Other nights she felt obligated to respond, her words dripping with a venom that had been tucked away deep into her psyche, compartmentalized. It unfurled slowly like a rose, thick with thorns. She disliked his presence suddenly materializing near her during the day, his unmoving gaze upon her from afar behind the corner of a hall or walking besides her in silence. She did not know what he kept himself busy with, where he was in the castle before nightfall. It kept her on edge, goosebumps flushed underneath her gown. She felt like stalked prey.

Other times they would have short conversations.

“What will you do,” Ganondorf smiled, chuckling. “When that boy dies, and I take my rightful place as ruler as this land?”

They were walking through empty halls in the third story of the castle, the rain battering against the closed windows.

“Your over confidence blinds you to your fate, Ganondorf.”

“I am simply providing you with an opening, Princess. It would do you well to take it.”

“I was under the impression that you would strike me down,” Zelda smiled. “And smear my blood across the throne. Parade my head on a _pike_ , for all of Hyrule to see.”

Ganondorf frowned. “I would not be so cruel to you.”

“That remains to be seen.”

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda sat at the dining table with Ganondorf, her appetite weak once again. She took care to not drink as much wine as she had previous nights - she did not want to become inebriated tonight, mentally unrefined and unguarded.

They ate in silence for some time, his gaze returning to her throughout the meal.

“Do you know why you feel weak?” He asked, his voice piercing the stillness of the room. Zelda did not respond, but felt a sigh escape her involuntarily.

“Your body is sustaining the life of another being through your spirit, a piece of it which is connected to The Triforce of Wisdom.”

“Oh.”

He frowned, setting his cutlery down. “I’m impressed you were able to do that, while only recently becoming acquainted with its power.”

Zelda nodded, taking a small bite of rice. It was tasteless in her mouth.

“You do not need respond to me. Only listen,” He continued, gesturing to her with an open hand. “What you did, out of the grace of your heart, was foolhardy. It is not sustainable. It is putting great strain upon your physical body. It would be…wise for you, to take bedrest more.” He gestured to her plate. “And eat more. Every evening, I have noticed, you hardly take in proper sustenance.”

Zelda frowned. “Why are you concerned suddenly so?”

“It would not bode well for either of us if you suddenly became stricken with illness.”

Zelda chuckled. “How kind. Wasn’t it only a week or so ago when you told me you’d tear the Triforce away from me? That would have resulted in my untimely death, surely.”

“There is much you do not know. It would not have.”

“To have torn it away from me, would have defied the will of the Goddesses. You might as well kill me.”

Ganondorf growled. “Their will? And what is their will? To be reborn time and time again, our pains magnified and compounded? To see Hyrule conquer and destroy my homeland again and again, to capture you incessantly? To wait to be slaughtered? No, Princess. Tearing it away from you, before you awakened to it, would have been a _blessing_.”

Zelda straightened her posture, looking directly at him. “I have answered the call of Nayru. I have accepted her sacred will, her revelations. I would say there is much _you_ do not know, Ganondorf. You are blinded by an ancient rage. _You_ are the corrupting force. Not the will of the Goddesses.”

His eyes were furrowed deeply. Zelda anticipated his anger to bubble up and over again, to insult her, to demean her. Instead he closed his eyes.

Zelda continued; her tongue sharp. “You see Link as the bearer of death. But it is _you,_ Ganondorf, who brings its shadow upon us all. You asked me why we could not be all more friendly with one another? I will tell you why,” Zelda’s voice shook in her throat, caught with her words. “Your incessant greed has corrupted your soul. You will _never_ be satisfied. You said so yourself. Not even your dearest wishes could come to life if you were to harness the power of the Goddesses itself.”

Ganondorf suddenly stood up and Zelda felt her heart drop, anticipating what he would do next. He looked at her closely, his expression unreadable, the moment drawing to an uncomfortable length. He remained silent and bowed deeply to her, then turned on his heels, slamming the doors shut.


	8. Lullaby

It had been almost three months since Zelda was locked away in her home turned prison.

Ganondorf’s moods became unpredictable, ever shifting. He stopped antagonizing her as much, choosing instead the silence of the dining hall, his anger underneath the surface. Some nights he could be charming in conversation, asking her many things about the state of present-day Hyrule. She described the far flung borders of the kingdom, the countries to the north and south, trade agreements, foreign nobles and rulers. He made her laugh once or twice against her better judgement, his offhand comments at times humorous in their tone. He kept following her about the castle, his gaze never relenting in its intensity. His intentions were still murky, and her unease only increased with the days. He began to send her a tea of medicinal herbs with a maid during the evenings after their meals. She did not take them at first, suspicious that he was attempting to poison her. One night he arrived at her bedroom itself, holding a tray and handing it to her firmly. She took it carefully in surprise. Before she could say anything, he rose his hand to stop her.

_“To poison you would bring shame upon me. Only weak men, and women without recourse choose poison. Drink.”_

Zelda found it, to her relief, not only pleasant in taste but also free of poison.

“The Gerudo held great knowledge of medicinal herbs and essences. Being as we were from a remote a place as a desert, isolated, we had to rely on our own stores of herbs cultivated underneath the shade of great palm trees.”

“Yes…the tea has suited me. Thank you.”

Zelda was sitting in front of floor to ceiling windows, in the great hall on the ground floor of the castle. She had been watching the the rain drizzle onto the glass in silence that afternoon. He appeared besides her, joining her in the quiet space with his hands behind his back. 

“It was a beautiful place,” He continued, sighing. “The golden light of dusk was incomparable to any paradise.”

Zelda did not respond, looking out onto the great pyramid.

“Perhaps in another age, things could be different.” Zelda said, speaking after some time. She felt unequipped to offer any sort of consolement, even if she knew she was beholden to apologize for that loss. She made a mental note to look in her father’s bedchambers later for any records of history between the Gerudo and Hyrule, things she had not seen in those visions.

Ganondorf did not respond in turn, glancing at her. 

“Perhaps they could be.” He said at last, tilting his head in agreement. “What would it take?”

“Pardon me?” Zelda asked, turning her gaze towards him. 

“What would it take for things to be different? I’ve died once in this body. I’m somewhere in-between a phantom and a man. Things only the Triforce could afford me.”

Zelda suddenly realized the meaning of the golden pyramid. He had lifted it so as to recover his own strength, after being indisposed of a physical body for so long.

“I’ve lived through many ages. I’ve seen all those different lives through visions. I am born, a celebration occurs among my people, and then tragedy. Every single time. The Goddesses have abandoned me, destroyed my home. What else could it take?”

“It begins with you. You are the catalyst for tragedy.” Zelda responded.

Ganondorf frowned. “I do not think it’s that simple, Zelda. I was an innocent man in my last lifetime, when your ancestor lured me to the Arbiter’s Grounds and cast me into hell. Innocent enough for a ruler, at the very least. You also have blood on your hands. Why aren’t you struck down?”

“Ganondorf, look around you. Your influence singlehandedly brought chaos throughout two worlds. The consequences have rippled and created unforeseen waves. Many have met unfortunate ends.”

“And what should I have done instead? Tell me, Princess,” He continued, gripping his fist. “Should I have accepted that fate? To wander as a raging spirit throughout the _ether_ for eternity? Don’t make me laugh. I will not sacrifice myself for the sake of Hyrule’s _peace_.”

“No, but you _are_ willing to sacrifice others.” Zelda responded simply.

“You’d rather see me _dead_.” He growled, narrowing his eyes. 

“No. I’d rather never see you again.” 

Ganondorf turned on his heels and walked away, echoing footsteps fading into the afternoon.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

That night Zelda had a terrible dream.

She dreamt that she was alone in a deep wood, dark as the moonless sky. Brambles were caught all about her as she tried to flee from an imposing figure behind her. She found herself suddenly exhausted, unable to run any further. A hand hooked onto her shoulder halting her in her tracks, large and cold as ice. She turned around to see the face of the shadowy figure -

The scene shifted. She was tied in chains against a great stone pillar, completely in the nude, in a great dark expanse. She struggled against the chains drawn about her, crying out, her voice carried away by fierce winds. She felt a pain deep within her chest and looked down, horrified to see blood pouring out from her beating heart. She opened her mouth to scream but found that her voice had disappeared.

And then she woke up.

Zelda could not sleep afterwards. She felt as if she were reaching her limit. 

She laid in her tub with her eyes closed, hoping for a thread of exhaustion to wash over her. She felt tears prickling at her eyes and let them fall loosely into the water. She was incredibly tired, but mentally restless. She exited the bath and retired to her bedroom. She sat down to her diary and wrote at length about her connections to Midna, the Triforce, her dream, what Ganondorf tells her, and all of her worries. She filled several pages, her hand feverish in its movements.

She thought of her father again, wondering what he would have done. _“Nothing. He would have been killed.”_ She shook her head, willing the thought to disappear. She missed him terribly.

Suddenly feeling compelled to go to her father’s bedchambers, she rose from her seat and dressed in her robe.

She quickly made her way through the halls, his quarters not that far away from hers. It was late, past 12am.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Once she arrived, Zelda closed the door softly behind her. She stepped inside, its familiarity embracing her with its warmth. It was a vast room, with beautiful large windows facing the ancient trees in the gardens below. Zelda often came to her father’s chambers in the evenings to wish him good night as a young girl, and he always gave her a loving embrace and a kiss on the forehead. He was a very gentle man with Zelda, never raising his voice to her. Even though the castle grounds were swarming with beasts and flanked on all sides by Ganondorf’s spell, it was the beginning of summer. Golden insects twinkled here and there throughout the greenery, and the crickets could be heard from below, their soft calls bringing a welcome calm to her.

She found a candle in one of the drawers of her father’s desk, and placed it in the lantern, lighting it. She was wondering what books of interest she could find from her family in his room, when a voice from the far corner shook her from her thoughts.

“Good evening, Zelda.”

Zelda remained still, her breath hitching quickly at being startled. She heard the shutting of a book, and heavy steps approaching from behind. She turned around and met with Ganondorf, who smiled and bowed deeply to her.

“What a pleasure it is to find you in my quarters this evening.”

“Your quarters?” She replied instantly. The man rose from his bow, nodding, approaching her and spreading his arms about him.

“Yes, _my_ quarters. As this castle’s new ruler, this is the royal bedchamber most fitting for me to reside in.”

Zelda frowned, taking a step back to create distance between them. “No one has disturbed my father’s bedroom since he passed,” The words tumbled out of her too quickly, and she felt herself press up against the back of the desk. With a more authoritative voice, she added, “It is uncouth for you to sleep in his bed.”

Ganondorf shook his head. “I respectfully disagree. A dead man has no use for a bed, only a grave.”

Zelda frowned, and he gestured at the book he still carried in his hand. “I have been reading at leisure. This is a record of the construction of the Arbiter’s Grounds, many, many moons ago.”

“I see.”

“There is no reason to be alarmed, Your Majesty,” Ganondorf chided, placing the book back onto the shelf. “If you take me for a common brute - you are woefully mistaken.”

“Caution favors us all.”

He turned to her, smiling. “Caution can lead to stagnancy.”

Zelda did not respond.

“I _am_ genuinely pleased to see you here,” He continued, striding over to one of the bedside tables. “There was something important I wanted to give you tomorrow morning. But it seems that the Goddesses have willed for it to be tonight.” He took something that glistened, and she stiffened as he approached her. It was a small box wrapped in silver paper.

“Please, may you accept my humble gift to you.”

“I cannot accept this.”

Ganondorf frowned. “Princess, surely, a small token of my appreciation for your company is not something to be cautious of as well?”

“Would you accept a gift from someone who has taken over your home?” She responded coolly, eyebrow raising.

Ganondorf chuckled, his eyes gleaming. “Depends on the gift.”

Zelda understood the hidden meaning of his words, feeling the weight of its implications upon her body. She took another look at his extended hand with the gift then gingerly took the box from him, turning it over in her hands. She set the lantern down on the desk behind her, and tore away the silver wrapping paper. Inside was a black lacquered box, inlayed with swirling gold geometric patterns.

“Go ahead, open it.”

Zelda did - and from within its body, a soft song played. It was a music box. Its melody was familiar, but Zelda couldn’t quite place it.

“Do you like it? Its song doesn’t seem to be familiar to you,” Ganondorf said, gesturing to the box. “I had it made of the finest materials available. The symbols are Gerudo.”

“It is pleasant. I…am not sure where I have heard it before.”

“It is your lullaby.”

Zelda looked back down at the box. The awareness of its melody returned to her in a flash of memory, of falling asleep in her mother’s arms. It _was_ her lullaby.She had not heard it for many, many years. Zelda suddenly felt intensely uncomfortable, standing within her father’s room, with the weight of the forgotten song of her infancy playing in her ears. It was too intimate, too knowing. She narrowed her eyes and shut the box. They stood there in silence.

“…how did you know what that sounded like?” Zelda asked carefully, looking at him very closely.

“It was also the lullaby of your Great-Great Grandmother. I see its staying power has remained, for it to have been passed down to you. In fact,” He began to pace, a thoughtful look on his face, “Its motif is also similar to a song of friendship, from the Gerudo, one that I also listened to as a child.”

“I did not know that was the case.”

He turned to her, smiling. “The Gerudo were a very musical people. I, myself, was a musician. Once.” He approached her and she steeled herself. He stood very close to her, and placed his hands upon hers holding the box, squeezing. “Think of it as a token of goodwill between our peoples, even if mine no longer exist in this time.”

She jerked away from him, stepping back, holding the box closely to her chest, heart pounding. “Do not touch me, Ganondorf. We are not familiars.”

He frowned. “Princess…there is no need to be so alarmed by my presence. It does not suit you, to act as if you were a caged bird.”

Zelda met his gaze. “There is no need to pretend as if these were not extraordinary circumstances. Or pretend that I do not see you for what you are - a threat not only to Hyrule, but also to me.”

Ganondorf approached her slowly, placing his hands behind his back, and she also backed away, slowly into the bookshelf.

“I will have you know,” He began softly. “I may have murdered many, men and women alike…too many to count or to remember. But what I have never done,” He stopped short of her, his looming presence towering over her. She felt suffocated, wedged between the shelf and his body, his jagged scar upon his chest at eye level, her face flushed. “I have never harmed a defenseless woman. Or forcibly bed her.”

“Is that supposed to put me at ease?” Zelda choked, turning away from his gaze. “Am I supposed to be relieved, that you will not play marriage with me, like a doll?”

“No. Look at me.”

Zelda did not move. She shut her eyes, trembling against her better judgement. She felt weak. She cursed the moment, and cursed herself for not being armed with her dagger.

“Look at me.”

She felt his hand grip her chin gently, turning her face towards him. His hand was cold, and it dwarfed her face. She opened her eyes and gripped his hand, willing it away from her. He inched close to her face, looking intently into her eyes.

“I do not see you as something to _take_ , the maidenhead of a fallen fruit to crush underneath me. It wounds me that you see me as a predator.”

They stood there in silence, Zelda unmoving. He then turned away and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Zelda slid onto the floor, hugging the box tightly against her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the first piece of writing I did for this story, and I'm so happy to have been able to flesh this idea out. I'm happy you guys have been enjoying it, and thanks for reading <3<3<3


	9. Catacombs

Zelda did not see Ganondorf again for the next several days. She was wary of when he would reappear, choosing to remain always armed even in her sleep. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the solitude and respite it gave her from the intensity and heaviness of his presence, the malevolent aura tainting the immediate environment around him. Precious solitary evenings with her meals and moments of silence in the great halls of the castle, a small breath of fresh air amidst the humid rain.

She left the music box on the desk of her father’s bedchambers that night when she stumbled upon him, unwilling to take it with her. She did not want a memory of her childhood to be conflated with that moment of uncertainty and dread.

_“…the maidenhead of a fallen fruit to crush underneath me.”_

Those words rung through her mind and Zelda felt her lingering fear disproportionately exposed. As Princess she knew she was at a certain risk for her body to be used as a site of sexual conquest and dominion, a culminating retaliation. It was a perpetual concern. His attitude held shifting intentions, and she was certain things would come to a head soon. She felt as if she were preparing for the inevitable, the anticipation making her sick to her stomach. She wished he could just get it over with - whatever it was that he was planning. She had not see his growing kindness and regard as a positive development, only as an omen. Zelda was not blind to her own beauty, to her grace.

So it was one night that Zelda was shocked to hear a noise from deep within the castle. Something creaking, a sound she had never heard before. She came to from its echo in the dead of night, slowly, feeling the tension in the air. She faced herself in the mirror and offered a small prayer to Nayru, anointing herself before dressing simply in her robe, taking the candelabra from her bedside table. It was like playing a game of hot and cold, wandering ever closer to the source of the noise. Once she found its loudest point within the castle walls, she slipped into an ancient hidden passage in the south hall, her heart pounding. This rarely used passage lead directly to the catacombs, a place in the subterranean world of the castle that was deeper still than the dungeons. And the noise, she concluded, derived from there.

The passage extended and curled deep into the ground; dark, musty, cold. A rat here and there skirted about her feet, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. The droning sound became clearer and louder still, as she continued to descend into the maws of the soil, into the depths of the castle. It was an organ. Many questions swirled about her mind. How could an organ have been stored in the catacombs? By whose whim was its will, and most pressingly - why was its alien melody familiar to her?

She reached the end of the passageway, pressing her palm against the stone entryway. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, using her whole body weight to wedge the ancient door open. It finally gave way with an empty yawn, and Zelda squeezed past it into the darkness of the catacombs.

The organ’s bellows were loud, its sound encompassing the entire breadth of the enclosed environment about her. She gripped the candelabra tightly in her hand, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. She could feel the presence of spirits within these depths, all about her, clawing at the hem of her robe.

The organ’s sound came from one direction in the darkness and Zelda felt herself head towards it, shoulders quivering against her better judgement. In a moment she had a sudden realization of where she had heard that song before. It was in a previous lifetime, played by Ganondorf himself then as well, and she was locked away somewhere…it was so cold then, too. She drew her robe tighter about her, her nightgown sticking against her goosebump strewn skin.

Her steps landed softly upon the stone, her silhouette gliding against skulls, against forgotten lives in the darkness. At the far end of a passageway she saw torches lit on either side, and at its end, Ganondorf seated in front of a large organ. In the middle of an open space flanked by torches, his shadow ebbed and flowed. And as the flames flickered she realized it was not a trick of its light. In the overcast darkness of the clouds surrounding the castle she had never noticed that his silhouette was amorphous, wont to change and swirl. Her heart pounded. She instantly regretted the journey she took into this graveyard. His inhuman state became unbearably clear.

He stopped playing as she approached him, his back turned against her.

“Hello, Princess.”

She stopped, gripping the candelabra tightly. “Good evening. I did not realize it was you.”

Ganondorf huffed. “Surely not? Who else, tell me, would be here?”

Zelda did not respond, and began to slowly step away.

“Don’t go. Listen.”

He began to play, a haunting melody climbing in intensity as it gave way to a chromatic crescendo, peaking and bowing out into the lower registers. The chords melted perfectly with each other, a harmony unfurled beautifully before her. The music was undoubtedly gorgeous, the song vibrating deep within her chest. Zelda felt herself transfixed by the sound - until Ganondorf suddenly slammed his hands upon the keys, the organ blaring its discontent sharply throughout the refuge of the dead. She felt herself jolt, startled at the sudden sonic discord. But she did not move.

“It was beautiful.”

He turned to her, his face neutral. “Thank you. I practiced for seven years, night after night, the last we met. Waiting for a boy to ultimately come strike me down. All those years ago…” He placed a hand upon a pipe. “I assume this organ was banished to the catacombs, along with the remains of that earthly body I once had.”

Zelda gestured about the space. “I have never been here, in this part of the castle before. A fitting place for a forgotten instrument. From a forgotten time.”

“It suits me very well, doesn’t it? I only hope you think of me fondly enough, Princess,” He continued, his voice acerbic, “to cast what remains of my wretched bones within this forgotten cavity after I’m struck down once more.”

Zelda’s gaze flickered shortly towards his shadow, its shape whipping sharply in response to its owner’s discontent.“Pessimism does not suit you, Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf noticed her gaze towards his shadow. “You’ve finally noticed? You disappoint me.”

“Your disappointment means nothing to me. But yes, I have only noticed now.”

“Soon my shadow will also be whole along with the rest of my body.” Ganondorf smiled, chuckling. “This reprieve has been most productive. Strength continues to flow through me.”

Zelda suddenly realized the true meaning behind his cautionary warning, the potential consequences of sharing a piece of the Triforce with Midna.

“It’s not only the golden pyramid aiding in your regeneration…you’re taking life energy from Zant, aren’t you?”

“Yes. As he grows weaker, and descends into madness, _I_ grow stronger. Every day as his life becomes shorter, mine lengthens.”

 _“Just like a parasite, devouring its host.”_ She thought, frowning.

“Soon, I will be whole again. No longer straddling the line between the immaterial and physical world. Soon, I will be a whole man again.” He rose from his seat, smiling. “It pleases me that you have chosen to not shy away, after our last meeting. I commend your fearlessness, even though you have nothing to fear from me.”

“I have the blessing of the Goddesses. What could you possibly do to me, that they have not already done, and worse?”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Is that so? I see. You’re beginning to see the truth behind their foul blessing?”

“The only truth is that the bearer of such a blessing must endure until the end, no matter the cost.” Zelda smiled. “And _I_ intend to see you struck down. Do not worry, Ganondorf. I will see to it that your bones will rest besides your organ.”

He chuckled, placing his hands behind his back. “It truly pleases me to see you in such good spirits. And in such a place as this one, at that.” He gestured about. “What better place to have a true heart-to-heart than here, surrounded by the souls of those doomed to remain in such a wretched place?”

Zelda frowned, feeling a chill against the back of her neck. “Do you feel them as well?”

“Hundreds. They flicker in-between the wisps of the flames, trailing about the stone floor.” He strode to her, looking at her closely. “You do not know what it’s like. Flitting in the immaterial, being a burning essence.”

She did not break away from his gaze, her heart a stone. “That is not quite true. I understood what it was like, as I gave a piece of my spirit to Midna. I still feel its disembodied presence within her.”

Ganondorf hummed. “I see. Do you know the true reason why I have insisted we dine together daily?”

Zelda frowned, realizing at once she did not understand his full motive. “I…no. I simply thought you meant to keep a close eye on me.”

Ganondorf shook his head. “That is not entirely incorrect. You see, if your body is not fully inhabited by your spirit, your soul, you are at risk of physically fading away.”

Zelda’s face lit up. “And so to prevent that…one must engage in the rhythm of an earthly life.”

“That is correct. And I intend to engage in the fullness of what living life as a man will offer me.”

Zelda frowned, feeling her body recoil at the implications of his words. “I see.”

“Come, Zelda,” He said, as he took the candelabra away from her. “I think that is enough time for both of us to remain here in this living grave.”

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

The passage back towards the surface of the castle was difficult for Zelda, her breath caught in her chest. She had no other choice but to lean against Ganondorf’s frame, her arm interlocked with his as they continued to make the journey back into the castle. It was agonizingly slow, as her pace faltered throughout the entire length of the stairway. They arrived at last into the empty hall of the south wing. Zelda immediately disengaged from Ganondorf, loosening her arm away from him.

“Are you certain you can stand on your own?”

“Yes.” She responded coolly, wiping her robe off. Her breathing was ragged and she leaned against the wall, panting. She felt clammy, cold sweat slowly dripping against the back of her neck, her nightgown clinging to her body underneath the robe.

Ganondorf frowned. “You look paler than usual.”

Zelda stood up straight and began to walk away but stumbled over her own steps, her knees buckling. She growled in frustration. Never had she experienced this level of physical weakness.

Ganondorf strode over to her, and interlocked his arm within hers again. “Do not be so proud as to deny my assistance, as much as you may rightfully despise me.”

Zelda breathed out, closing her eyes. She was in no position to refuse.

They slowly made their way back to her quarters in silence. Her head swam, her perception disoriented. Suddenly her vision disappeared.

.*.*.o.O.o.*.*.

Zelda woke to herself in the bath, soaking in her nightgown. There was a tray with a teapot next to her, still warm to her touch. She must have not been out for very long. She shook her head, gingerly feeling it. It throbbed, pounded. Ganondorf must have been the one to place her in the tub, and she shuddered at the image of his hands carrying her, undressing her, seeing her body exposed under the diaphanous white gown in the water. Even though she was fully dressed, she might as well have been completely exposed. 

_“At the very least, he did not disrespect my propriety by fully undressing me.”_ She thought, slipping the nightgown above her head. She remained in the tub for some time, finishing her herbal tea. She had began to become weaker as of late, her body less receptive to attempts at exercise. While the journey from the catacombs to the surface would have been demanding while she was whole, in this state it proved to be too much. She washed herself, and retired to her bed, sleep overtaking her completely. In her dreams that night, all she heard was her lullaby twinkling from a remote music box. Somewhere suspended in the ether, somewhere long gone before it could ever arrive.


End file.
